1 Corinthians 9-11

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Rights of an Apostle

9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?^{(A) 2} If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.^(B)

³ This is my defense to those who would examine me. ⁴ Do we not have the right to our food and drink?^{(C) 5} Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife,^[a] as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?^{(D) 6} Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?^{(E) 7} Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk?^(F)

⁸ Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law also say the same? ⁹ For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned?^{(G) 10} Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed written for our sake, for whoever plows should plow in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop. ¹¹ If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we harvest material^[b] things?^{(H) 12} If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we still more?

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.^{(I) 13} Do you not know that those who work in the temple service get their food from the temple and those who serve at the altar share in what is sacrificed on the altar?^{(J) 14} In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.^(K)

¹⁵ But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this so that they may be applied in my case. Indeed, I would rather die than that—no one will deprive me of my ground for boasting! ¹⁶ If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! ¹⁷ For if I do this of my own will, I have a wage, but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission.^{(L) 18} What then is my wage? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

¹⁹ For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might gain all the more.^{(M) 20} To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to gain Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might gain those under the law. ²¹ To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not outside God’s law but am within Christ’s law) so that I might gain those outside the law.^{(N) 22} To the weak I became weak, so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. ²³ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I might become a partner in it.

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.^{(O) 25} Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.^{(P) 26} So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air, ²⁷ but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.^(Q)

Warnings from Israel’s History

10 I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,^{(R) 2} and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ and all ate the same spiritual food,^{(S) 4} and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.^{(T) 5} Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.^(U)

⁶ Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did.^{(V) 7} Do not become idolaters as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.”^{(W) 8} We must not engage in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.^{(X) 9} We must not put Christ^[c] to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents.^{(Y) 10} And do not complain, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.^{(Z) 11} These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.^{(AA) 12} So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. ¹³ No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.^(AB)

¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from the worship of idols.^{(AC) 15} I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.^{(AD) 18} Consider the people of Israel:^[d] Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?^{(AE) 19} What do I imply, then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, I imply that what they^[e] sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.^{(AF) 21} You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.^{(AG) 22} Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?^(AH)

Do All to the Glory of God

²³ “All things are permitted,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permitted,” but not all things build up. ²⁴ Do not seek your own advantage but that of the other.^{(AI) 25} Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, ²⁶ for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.”^{(AJ) 27} If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹ I mean the other’s conscience, not your own. For why should my freedom be subject to the judgment of someone else’s conscience?^{(AK) 30} If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks?^(AL)

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.^{(AM) 32} Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,^{(AN) 33} just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage but that of many, so that they may be saved.^(AO) 11 ¹ Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.^(AP)

Head Coverings

² I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you.^{(AQ) 3} But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man^[f] is the head of the woman,^[g] and God is the head of Christ.^{(AR) 4} Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head shames his head,^{(AS) 5} but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled shames her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. ⁶ For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair, but if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. ⁷ For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection^[h] of God, but woman is the reflection^[i] of man.^{(AT) 8} Indeed, man was not made from woman but woman from man.^{(AU) 9} Neither was man created for the sake of woman but woman for the sake of man.^{(AV) 10} For this reason a woman ought to have authority over her head,^[j] because of the angels.^{(AW) 11} Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. ¹² For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, but all things come from God. ¹³ Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? ¹⁴ Does not nature itself teach you that, if a man wears long hair, it is dishonoring to him, ¹⁵ but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. ¹⁶ But if anyone is disposed to be contentious—we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.^(AX)

Abuses at the Lord’s Supper

¹⁷ Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸ For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.^{(AY) 19} Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine.^{(AZ) 20} When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. ²¹ For when the time comes to eat, each of you proceeds to eat your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. ²² What! Do you not have households to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread,^{(BA) 24} and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for^[k] you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.^(BB)

Partaking of the Supper Unworthily

²⁷ Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord.^{(BC) 28} Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.^{(BD) 29} For all who eat and drink^[l] without discerning the body^[m] eat and drink judgment against themselves. ³⁰ For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.^{[n] 31} But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.^{(BE) 32} But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined^[o] so that we may not be condemned along with the world.^(BF)

³³ So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴ If you are hungry, eat at home,^[p] so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. About the other things I will give instructions when I come.^(BG)